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Sega Saturn Appreciation and Emulation Thread

Saturn friends, i need your help! I moved this year and had to sell my CRT, currently playing on an LCD with only Composite, so i've been considering picking up a Framemeister + RGB cables.

I'm sure it'll be great, but i'm just having the hardest time convincing myself to spend that kind of money! In all honesty, my entire Saturn collection probably hasn't cost as much as the Framemeister + cables would.

I love my Saturn and other retro games - Super Famicom would hugely benefit from RGB, N64 I'd probably just get an S-vid cable and call it a day. I have a Gamecube component cable I can't even use currently! With a nice setup, i might be inclined to pickup a Mega Drive to take advantage of it too.

Thing is, i get all excited to play retro games but then my interest fades pretty quickly once i play them for a bit. Then I forget about them for months until the next pickup. Probably isn't a game in my Saturn collection i've spent more than 5 hours with. I get upset when I realise the type of old games i used to like barely get made anymore - but then playing the old games doesn't really satisfy me either since they're, well, old. Noone else is really playing them now, and so the motivation just isn't there. I've been enjoying recent high quality emulation/ports like Sega 3D Classics, Battle Garegga and Wild Guns on PS4, but they're few and far between. I dread to think of a future where TVs don't even have Composite ports... The Framemeister would at least give my Saturn a bit of TV future proofing! My Saturn collection below - there's probably only 20 odd games i realistically see myself adding to it before i reach the point of "too expensive to bother".

sF27rcK.jpg

But.. there's the Switch coming soon... to date i'm wholly uninterested in buying what looks like a Wii U port machine at launch. Gamecube VC would interest me a little though, and even the slim hope of a new Metroid, F-Zero or Wave Race means i have to keep my eye on it. If history repeats, i'll probably just cave once i see more of the new Mario :D

I should really only get one or the other, and so i'm really torn. I'll be waiting for the 12th Jan Switch event at least, but i'd like to hear what you guys think i should do, and how you get the most enjoyment out of your retro collections.
 
Saturn friends, i need your help! I moved this year and had to sell my CRT, currently playing on an LCD with only Composite, so i've been considering picking up a Framemeister + RGB cables.

I'm sure it'll be great, but i'm just having the hardest time convincing myself to spend that kind of money! In all honesty, my entire Saturn collection probably hasn't cost as much as the Framemeister + cables would.

I love my Saturn and other retro games - Super Famicom would hugely benefit from RGB, N64 I'd probably just get an S-vid cable and call it a day. I have a Gamecube component cable I can't even use currently! With a nice setup, i might be inclined to pickup a Mega Drive to take advantage of it too.

Thing is, i get all excited to play retro games but then my interest fades pretty quickly once i play them for a bit. Then I forget about them for months until the next pickup. Probably isn't a game in my Saturn collection i've spent more than 5 hours with. I get upset when I realise the type of old games i used to like barely get made anymore - but then playing the old games doesn't really satisfy me either since they're, well, old. Noone else is really playing them now, and so the motivation just isn't there. I've been enjoying recent high quality emulation/ports like Sega 3D Classics, Battle Garegga and Wild Guns on PS4, but they're few and far between. I dread to think of a future where TVs don't even have Composite ports... The Framemeister would at least give my Saturn a bit of TV future proofing! My Saturn collection below - there's probably only 20 odd games i realistically see myself adding to it before i reach the point of "too expensive to bother".



But.. there's the Switch coming soon... to date i'm wholly uninterested in buying what looks like a Wii U port machine at launch. Gamecube VC would interest me a little though, and even the slim hope of a new Metroid, F-Zero or Wave Race means i have to keep my eye on it. If history repeats, i'll probably just cave once i see more of the new Mario :D
I should really only get one or the other, and so i'm really torn. I'll be waiting for the 12th Jan Switch event at least, but i'd like to hear what you guys think i should do, and how you get the most enjoyment out of your retro collections.

I mean it depends on your tolerance. I've posted on a CRT and an LCD and I think it holds up fine. I'm sure some people it's heresy but go off of how you feel. I think people worry way too much about what other people think is an acceptable picture to them and how these old games used to look.
 
The thing that's bothering me the most is the interlacing artifacts I'm getting. I'd seen the effect before on Wii running Neo Geo VC games, but assumed it was some emulation glitch. It wasn't until i was forced to play my Saturn on LCD that i started noticing it on almost every 2d game.

Then the guys in the AV thread explained why... i did a run through a heap of my games to see how bad it could get. The worst i could find was KOF 11 on PS2, when the background shakes for a fallen character:


It's varying levels of distracting depending on the game, but i'm seeing it everywhere now :(
 
The thing that's bothering me the most is the interlacing artifacts I'm getting. I'd seen the effect before on Wii running Neo Geo VC games, but assumed it was some emulation glitch. It wasn't until i was forced to play my Saturn on LCD that i started noticing it on almost every 2d game.

Then the guys in the AV thread explained why... i did a run through a heap of my games to see how bad it could get. The worst i could find was KOF 11 on PS2, when the background shakes for a fallen character:



It's varying levels of distracting depending on the game, but i'm seeing it everywhere now :(
Hmm, I'll have to look for this now. I've been playing magic Knight rayearth and haven't noticed it but I guess it's less likely in that type of game
 

eEK!

Neo Member
Saturn friends, i need your help! I moved this year and had to sell my CRT, currently playing on an LCD with only Composite, so i've been considering picking up a Framemeister + RGB cables.

I'm sure it'll be great, but i'm just having the hardest time convincing myself to spend that kind of money! In all honesty, my entire Saturn collection probably hasn't cost as much as the Framemeister + cables would.

I love my Saturn and other retro games - Super Famicom would hugely benefit from RGB, N64 I'd probably just get an S-vid cable and call it a day. I have a Gamecube component cable I can't even use currently! With a nice setup, i might be inclined to pickup a Mega Drive to take advantage of it too.

Thing is, i get all excited to play retro games but then my interest fades pretty quickly once i play them for a bit. Then I forget about them for months until the next pickup. Probably isn't a game in my Saturn collection i've spent more than 5 hours with. I get upset when I realise the type of old games i used to like barely get made anymore - but then playing the old games doesn't really satisfy me either since they're, well, old. Noone else is really playing them now, and so the motivation just isn't there. I've been enjoying recent high quality emulation/ports like Sega 3D Classics, Battle Garegga and Wild Guns on PS4, but they're few and far between. I dread to think of a future where TVs don't even have Composite ports... The Framemeister would at least give my Saturn a bit of TV future proofing! My Saturn collection below - there's probably only 20 odd games i realistically see myself adding to it before i reach the point of "too expensive to bother".

But.. there's the Switch coming soon... to date i'm wholly uninterested in buying what looks like a Wii U port machine at launch. Gamecube VC would interest me a little though, and even the slim hope of a new Metroid, F-Zero or Wave Race means i have to keep my eye on it. If history repeats, i'll probably just cave once i see more of the new Mario :D

I should really only get one or the other, and so i'm really torn. I'll be waiting for the 12th Jan Switch event at least, but i'd like to hear what you guys think i should do, and how you get the most enjoyment out of your retro collections.

Alternatively the Open Source Scan Converter is quite a bit cheaper than the Framemeister.

Doesn't have as many features as the Framemeister and isn't as compatible, but works well for the systems you mentioned (and has component inputs for your Gamecube), so I'd recommend that.
 
Alternatively the Open Source Scan Converter is quite a bit cheaper than the Framemeister.

Doesn't have as many features as the Framemeister and isn't as compatible, but works well for the systems you mentioned (and has component inputs for your Gamecube), so I'd recommend that.

Hmm i haven't read much on it since it's fairly new, but i think the few things Framemeister has over it are important for me.

androgyne i hear you on the short replay value of those boring boring saturn games, holla if you ever wanna be free of em

Heh well i know there's some sarcasm here but no, they're not going anywhere :) I guess my games fall into a few categories with some overlap, which contributes somewhat to the lack of enthusiasm:
- Games that've been superseded and are more like curiosities now (VFs, Daytona, KOFs etc)
- Games that i played to death back in the day (SF Alphas, Sonic)
- Games that i bought cause they were cheap and aren't always that great

The ones i find myself playing the most are the shooters which yeah they're unfortunately the most expensive.
I was super excited when i got Dodonpachi but that's one of the worst games to play on composite LCD because of the abundance of red on some stages and fast moving sprites. Soukyugurentai still looks alright but I still find myself wishing i could play it with more clarity.
 
my fiancee got me a CIB Saturn for Christmas. ironically, she bought it from some guy who was going to propose to his girlfriend. i told my fiancee a couple months back (before i proposed) i wouldn't get a saturn if i were to ever propose to her.

i checked around a local thrift shop (the owner is on a show called storage wars) and managed to get a near mint Panzer Dragoon Saga for $500 and Nights for $50. i can post pics of what i have later on tonight.

for memory cards, what model should i be looking for? i know the pins for the expansion port suck and cheaper knock off tend to wear them out (correct me if i am wrong).

also, do the ram carts double as memory cards? i do intend on picking up some import fighters like MSH vs SF, Xmen CotA, and Xmen vs SF.

i feel like i've gone down a rabbit hole...
 

TeaJay

Member
also, do the ram carts double as memory cards? i do intend on picking up some import fighters like MSH vs SF, Xmen CotA, and Xmen vs SF.

i feel like i've gone down a rabbit hole...

You'll want the Action Replay 4M 4-in-1. It acts as a backup memory card so if/when your Saturn's internal memory is full (very fast if you play a lot of different games) you can just store 'em on the cart and switch back when needed.

http://segaretro.org/Action_Replay_Plus

It also works to disable the region lock so you can play japanese imports.

Now, I think a handful of games require their own memory card (King of Fighters '95 comes to mind) but I personally haven't had the need to take the AR card out once I originally put it in. (I did get a modchip and a 50/60 switch put in, since my Saturn is PAL originally).
 
Saturn friends, i need your help! I moved this year and had to sell my CRT, currently playing on an LCD with only Composite, so i've been considering picking up a Framemeister + RGB cables.

I'm sure it'll be great, but i'm just having the hardest time convincing myself to spend that kind of money! In all honesty, my entire Saturn collection probably hasn't cost as much as the Framemeister + cables would.

I love my Saturn and other retro games - Super Famicom would hugely benefit from RGB, N64 I'd probably just get an S-vid cable and call it a day. I have a Gamecube component cable I can't even use currently! With a nice setup, i might be inclined to pickup a Mega Drive to take advantage of it too.

Thing is, i get all excited to play retro games but then my interest fades pretty quickly once i play them for a bit. Then I forget about them for months until the next pickup. Probably isn't a game in my Saturn collection i've spent more than 5 hours with. I get upset when I realise the type of old games i used to like barely get made anymore - but then playing the old games doesn't really satisfy me either since they're, well, old. Noone else is really playing them now, and so the motivation just isn't there. I've been enjoying recent high quality emulation/ports like Sega 3D Classics, Battle Garegga and Wild Guns on PS4, but they're few and far between. I dread to think of a future where TVs don't even have Composite ports... The Framemeister would at least give my Saturn a bit of TV future proofing! My Saturn collection below - there's probably only 20 odd games i realistically see myself adding to it before i reach the point of "too expensive to bother".



But.. there's the Switch coming soon... to date i'm wholly uninterested in buying what looks like a Wii U port machine at launch. Gamecube VC would interest me a little though, and even the slim hope of a new Metroid, F-Zero or Wave Race means i have to keep my eye on it. If history repeats, i'll probably just cave once i see more of the new Mario :D

I should really only get one or the other, and so i'm really torn. I'll be waiting for the 12th Jan Switch event at least, but i'd like to hear what you guys think i should do, and how you get the most enjoyment out of your retro collections.


I have the Framemeister Mini.
Surely it's an expensive thing, but for me it was really a worth.
Actually I have hooked up :
Saturn/MD RGB
PS2/Wii/Xbox D-Terminal
DC Svideo or SNES A/V

Actually there should be another restock in January from Micomsoft cause the Mini is out-of-stock everywhere and the only places you can buy it is somewhere online or Yahoo Auctions, of course I presume you live in the west so the Mini being available in Yodobashi or Bic Camera shops doesn't change anything to you, but when it is available on shops again maybe the price would come back to the normal price.
So I would say that this is the moment if you want buy it, there is time for spending money for the Switch, I am a person who usually waits for console launch.
Have a lot of system hooked up together maybe will give to you a more interest into retrogames again.

So if you are undecided between the Mini and Nintendo Switch in the short term (Jan/March) I would suggest to buy the Mini (due to the restock), in the long term (summer/autumn) you can check what kind of games are available on the Switch and how are opinions about the system and then decide what to buy, but considering that the more you wait for the Mini the less chances you have to find at its regular price.
 
So I would say that this is the moment if you want buy it, there is time for spending money for the Switch, I am a person who usually waits for console launch.
Have a lot of system hooked up together maybe will give to you a more interest into retrogames again.

So if you are undecided between the Mini and Nintendo Switch in the short term (Jan/March) I would suggest to buy the Mini (due to the restock), in the long term (summer/autumn) you can check what kind of games are available on the Switch and how are opinions about the system and then decide what to buy, but considering that the more you wait for the Mini the less chances you have to find at its regular price.

This really makes a whole lot of sense. Given what we know from rumours and nothing really tickling my fancy, there's no reason i need to get one at launch. It's just a little disappointing for me, since i moved to Japan this year and was hoping to enjoy my first system launch here! Oh well...

Actually there should be another restock in January from Micomsoft cause the Mini is out-of-stock everywhere and the only places you can buy it is somewhere online or Yahoo Auctions, of course I presume you live in the west so the Mini being available in Yodobashi or Bic Camera shops doesn't change anything to you, but when it is available on shops again maybe the price would come back to the normal price.

... so yes i'm in Japan... and actually, i saw the Framemeister listed for a reasonable ~36000Y on Rakuten the other day, only for it to disappear the next day. 4 other sellers over 40000Y. BUT - i kept an eye on it and the same store put 3 more up for sale again. While i was deliberating, one sold in about 15 minutes later... then as if to push me over the edge, a popup appears telling me they have a 5% off coupon. Add to cart and used all my wife's points to bring it down closer to 33000Y :D The last one went within 24h as well.

So now the next step is cables! I've got an S-Video Saturn cable already, but i'll probably just get the RGB JP21/Scart cable for that so I can compare - then decide if the difference is worth it so i can decide what to do for my Super Famicom. An S-Video cable will suffice for N64, and i need a Component to D-Terminal adapter for PS2 and Gamecube! One great thing will be that I can play my PAL Gamecube here through Framemeister, saving me having to rebuy a lot of my favourites for JPN Gamecube, because currently they play in black and white or not at all in 50hz.

Watch them announce F-Zero and Wave Race for Switch in 2 weeks now lol
 
This really makes a whole lot of sense. Given what we know from rumours and nothing really tickling my fancy, there's no reason i need to get one at launch. It's just a little disappointing for me, since i moved to Japan this year and was hoping to enjoy my first system launch here! Oh well...



... so yes i'm in Japan... and actually, i saw the Framemeister listed for a reasonable ~36000Y on Rakuten the other day, only for it to disappear the next day. 4 other sellers over 40000Y. BUT - i kept an eye on it and the same store put 3 more up for sale again. While i was deliberating, one sold in about 15 minutes later... then as if to push me over the edge, a popup appears telling me they have a 5% off coupon. Add to cart and used all my wife's points to bring it down closer to 33000Y :D The last one went within 24h as well.

So now the next step is cables! I've got an S-Video Saturn cable already, but i'll probably just get the RGB JP21/Scart cable for that so I can compare - then decide if the difference is worth it so i can decide what to do for my Super Famicom. An S-Video cable will suffice for N64, and i need a Component to D-Terminal adapter for PS2 and Gamecube! One great thing will be that I can play my PAL Gamecube here through Framemeister, saving me having to rebuy a lot of my favourites for JPN Gamecube, because currently they play in black and white or not at all in 50hz.

Watch them announce F-Zero and Wave Race for Switch in 2 weeks now lol

well, if you live in Japan this changes A LOT !

as I said I heard The Mini should be available again in January, so the best deal would be to go at Bic/Yodobashi and if you have a point card you can grab the Mini for less than 35k yen

cables are not a big deal, you can find on YA (I bought a custom made RGB for MD and it works great) or if you are luck on some online shops (I bought the original RGB cable for Saturn, boxed, at Surugaya)

for Gamecube I would suggest to use a Wii, I found the system on YA for 2000 yen, I bought the D-Terminal cable at Book-Off for 200 yen and now I can see GC games in 480p (for your PAL games you should install the homebrew which enables the Wii to be region free)

I was also interested in the Switch, but the more the time passes the more I read disappointing news, specs are like a handheld but they presented the system as a home.
Considering this year I will buy a new PC (Shenmue is coming!!!), playing a home system just a little more powerful than WiiU really doesn't excite me... probably I will consider the purchase by the end of the year: a good amount of games already released and opinions from early adopters.

The difference between S-Video and RGB on Saturn I think it's not huge but clearly you can see it, especially if you come from Europe as your GC games suggest. We are used to RGB over there (I'm from EU too) and even if the quality of S-Video on the Saturn is good, I would never renounce to my RGB cable.

The only annoying thing about the Mini is that only 1 RGB input is available so if you have many systems switching the cable is really boring (and considering that plug/unplug many times a cable is the best way to sceww it up :D )
 

Man God

Non-Canon Member
Funny enough I think I have more imports than US versions of Saturn games...I'll see how things go this year though.

Pretty common for Saturn owners for a few reasons.

1. A lot of the best Saturn games are arcade-y titles that have little to no language barrier.
2. A lot of the best Saturn games...only came out in Japan!
3. A lot of the best Saturn games...are a hell of a lot more common in Japan!
 

Timu

Member
Pretty common for Saturn owners for a few reasons.

1. A lot of the best Saturn games are arcade-y titles that have little to no language barrier.
2. A lot of the best Saturn games...only came out in Japan!
3. A lot of the best Saturn games...are a hell of a lot more common in Japan!
That makes perfect sense!
 
well, if you live in Japan this changes A LOT !

as I said I heard The Mini should be available again in January, so the best deal would be to go at Bic/Yodobashi and if you have a point card you can grab the Mini for less than 35k yen

Hehe re-read my post, i bought it off Rakuten already! Preordered rather, they say end of Feb is when it's due.
I'm miles away from a Bic Camera or Yodobashi too unfortunately.

Anyway, filling some 2d gaps ahead of Framemeister's arrival, Yahoo Auctions and a measly 715Y later, Saturn Bomberman:
Checking prices for the western copy and yeah... i'm glad i don't have to go that route, jeez!

lnugqw9.jpg
 
Pretty common for Saturn owners for a few reasons.

1. A lot of the best Saturn games are arcade-y titles that have little to no language barrier.
2. A lot of the best Saturn games...only came out in Japan!
3. A lot of the best Saturn games...are a hell of a lot more common in Japan!

I sold off the majority of my Saturn games.

With the exception of Sega Rally, Virtua Cop I & II, and Virtua Fighter I & II my remaining Saturn games (12 or so) are Japanese imports.
 

Momentary

Banned
The only Saturn games I still own are Nocturne in the Moonlight and Soukyugurentai. What would be the best emulator to use to increase the performance and/or increase resolution? I remember Dracula X: NitM having NASTY slowdown. I just want the polygonz in Soukyugurentai to look better.
 

IrishNinja

Member
definitely better than being homeless

How could you not? I'm struggling to see how anyone would have more US titles.

it's pretty close for me - i love RPGs (especially working designs) and got deals on most of my stuff, imports have more fighters/SHMUPs/sega ages & compilations etc but yeah, i'd say its neck & neck

actually, just checked!
US - 40
JP - 39

so yeah, pretty close!
 

Bar81

Member
definitely better than being homeless



it's pretty close for me - i love RPGs (especially working designs) and got deals on most of my stuff, imports have more fighters/SHMUPs/sega ages & compilations etc but yeah, i'd say its neck & neck

actually, just checked!
US - 40
JP - 39

so yeah, pretty close!

I like RPGs as well but really have no idea how you got there. I'm at:

JP: 47 (not counting RAM pack copies of games that I have normal versions of)
US: 20
EUR: 1 (got to have my english Keio)

Even if I swapped the JP games I own with US releases (where available) that's 9 games and still leaves a pretty big gap.
 
Hehe re-read my post, i bought it off Rakuten already! Preordered rather, they say end of Feb is when it's due.
I'm miles away from a Bic Camera or Yodobashi too unfortunately.


ahahahaha
sorry I was in China and internet is terrible over there and I clearly didn't read very well your post :D

glad to hear you joined the #teamframemeister :)


(find the RGB cable now)
 
How could you not? I'm struggling to see how anyone would have more US titles.

How about mine
US: 50
JP: 0

I got most of my collection before prices went bat shit crazy & I have just about every US title I want now. Most of the JP titles I want are still very cheap, so Im at the point now where I can switch gears. :)
 

MikeMyers

Member
Let's see:

US:
-Darius Gaiden
-Die Hard Arcade
-Nights into Dreams
-Sega Rally Championship
-Sonic 3D Blast
-Virtua Cop
-Virtua Fighter
-Virtua Fighter 2
-Worldwide Soccer '97
Total: 9

Japan:
-Christmas Nights
-Daytona USA CE
-Dead or Alive
-Fighters Megamix
-Guardian Heroes
-House of the Dead
-Last Bronx
-Marvel Super Heroes Vs. Street Fighter
-Panzer Dragoon
-Panzer Dragoon Zwei
-Sakura Taisen
-Sega Ages: Outrun
-Street Fighter Alpha 2
-Vampire Hunter
-Virtual-On
-X-Men Vs. Street Fighter
Total: 16

Almost twice as many Japanese games in my collection.
 

D.Lo

Member
To me, probably 60-70% of the 100 best Saturn games are Japan-only. Maybe more. And of the rest 2/3 are in English or require no language anyway, and have better box art in the NTSCJ version. Just like PC Engine really. Even with infinite cash I'd get the western version of a couple of RPGs and that's it.
 

MikeMyers

Member
It's just easier to collect since the longcases take up a lot of room.

Can't think of any notable western exclusive Saturn games except for Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3.
 

D.Lo

Member
Japanese discs have the sublime consistency too, with the silver slice with Saturn logo on the lower half of every single one. They're just too classy. Nintendo cribbed the motif for the similarly classy gamecube discs.
 

D.Lo

Member
Would love to have the one with the communications port on top, for science, but it seems to be hella rare nowadays.
All of them had it until the late 2000s, so they won't be very rare at all, just not for sale new. I've been using the same one for maybe 20 years now lol, and never once considered using the parallel port.
 
I started cataloging my games on RFGeneration yesterday. It seems I have 43 (+3 that I will need to try to get added to their system) Japanese games and 22 US games (not counting the super scratched caseless ones carried over from my childhood).

Shamefully, the Saturn isn't my largest collection. The Genesis is.

I don't know whether it's cool or not that I have several games that they haven't cataloged yet. I have over 20 PC-98 games that they don't have. Most of it is eroge so I'm leaning towards not cool.
 
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